NAROWAL, Aug 6: The Narowal district police officer and two alleged gangsters were shot dead and two other policemen and a girl injured in an encounter on Friday.

DPO Tayyab Saeed, who was leading a team that cracked down on some proclaimed offenders, was the first to fell prey to the shootout that took place at Faleezpur village, about 20 kilometres off Narowal.

Ahmadabad police station received information that two brothers Rafaqat Butt alias Fakoo and Basharat Butt, who were wanted by police in various cases, were present at an outhouse along with some other proclaimed offenders.

A police party raided the place and tried to arrest the POs, who in reaction opened fire on the team. The police called for reinforcement in response to which DPO Tayyab Saeed led another brigade to the spot.

The POs also drew a bead on the DPO and his force as a result of which the former, along with Niddoke police SHO Muhammad Boota and constable Muhammad Siddique, suffered grievous injuries. The exchange of fire intensified after the mishap.

The injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital from where they were referred to a hospital Lahore. However, the DPO could not survive. The condition of other injured was stated to be critical.

The police, in the meanwhile, continued firing and besieged the outhouse. A large number of officials from Sialkot, Gujranwala and Lahore joined the force. The rest of the operation was commanded by Sialkot DPO Nisar Ahmad Saroya.

The crossfire, which continued for almost four hours, also trapped four-year-old Khadija Tabbasum whose condition was stated to be stable at the DHQ hospital. Two of the alleged accomplices of the main suspects were later shot dead after which the police entered the building and recovered the bodies and weapons, besides arresting an aged woman who is said to be the mother of Rafaqat.

One of the deceased was identified as Sajjad, who was a bus conductor from Dhir village. The police claimed that he was a friend of Rafaqat, but not wanted. The other youth could not immediately be identified.

Rafaqat and his brother Basharat, along with their other accomplices, escaped. The police claimed to have recovered two 44-bore rifles and a pump action gun from the house.

"This is a sad incident. We have lost an efficient officer," Punjab acting IGP Dr Azhar Hasan Nadeem said while talking to reporters at the Lahore Mayo Hospital. "The operation was a part of the campaign against the POs initiated on the orders of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi."

The Sialkot DPO told newsmen that teams had been formed to track down the absconders. Narowal District Nazim Javed Safdar Kahlon also reached the spot after receiving information about the encounter.

The funeral prayer of the DPO was offered at night at the Lahore district police lines. Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi and Governor Khalid Maqbool, besides a large number of policemen attended the funeral.

Tayyab Saeed, who belongs to Okara, was the son of Punjab Bar council former member Kanwar Saeed Ahmad Khan. The body was sent to his native village for burial at the time of our going into press.